Anguilla Villa Rentals:Cover Yourself Well

From the door of our house in Montreal, to the door of our Anguilla
villa, it's fifteen hours of flights and airports. After the stress
of tight connections and the boredom of long flights, you finally land
at Wallblake (which my Dad call's "the tiny perfect airport").

Your fatigue clears. Your pulse jumps. You expect to
whisk away to your choice of the many Anguilla villas available...
you expect to settle in and hear waves within minutes of landing.

No stress. No anxiety. No worries. Just bliss.

And so it started during our March 2004 trip. We arrived and were
welcomed back again so warmly, by what must be the nicest immigration officers
of any country.

And then, there was Jackie Pascher, our beloved Anguilla real estate agent,
greeting us with friendly smile... but looking worried.

"Ummmm..." she said. "The owner of your Anguilla villa rental double-booked
your villa yesterday. I just found out at the last second. You have no villa."

I have rarely seen my Dad both fuming and confused (he is often in one
or the other state, but not both -- ha! ha!). After all...

We had paid for
our choice of Anguilla villas months prior.

Trying to think on your feet at the last second, after a long, tiring flight,
about where to stay when you're thousands of miles from home, is difficult I'm sure.
Now this is the kind of thing
that makes me happy that I'm not a parent!

My Dad said, "Jackie, there is only one sacred trust in the accommodation industry --
your reserved place will be available, as promised. We travelled thousands of miles and
we're tired."

Luckily, Jackie made alternate arrangements by the very next morning. She had only been informed
that same day that the owner of the villa had left us out in the cold (well... in the
warmth, anyway!).

Yet she managed to set us up by the sensational turquoise of Shoal
Bay Beach, in an inviting, breezy, space-friendly, Anguilla villa rental...

... which, as it turns out, has become our favorite of all
Anguilla villas.

Lessons to be learned from all this? Well, by now, we consider ourselves fairly savvy
travellers to Anguilla and we certainly love Anguilla villas and know our way around.
Still, we almost had a seriously damaged vacation.

Naturally, Anguilla villas are still the best travel bargain in the Caribbean.
Double-booking can happen anywhere, of course, even the finest hotels in New York.
Here are a few things to consider to make sure everything goes well with
your anguilla villa rental...

1) If you book your villa all by yourself, be sure you know the owner.
You might want to check on who the owner of a villa is, and how reliable s/he is,
before renting it.

We have stayed in every villa recommended in this site, and if not we know the
people involved. You're in good hands.

2) Even if you do know the owner, be sure you triple-check and confirm dates,
receipt of payment, and so forth. In writing, from the owner himself/herself.

3) Make sure you have a great real estate agent like Jackie Pascher locally. If Jackie
had not been there to take care of us... I shudder to think of it. Ask Jackie to send you
confirmations from the owner, too.

We've grown to know, like, and trust Jackie completely. If you like the idea of
renting Anguilla villas, let her know what you're looking for...

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Leave nothing to chance, and your Anguilla villa rental will be the vacation of a lifetime!